My dad told me about driving the other day and the cars were all coming to a stop on six lanes of roads — not for an accident or bad road conditions or a police inspection. Nope it was to allow a gaggle of geese to amble across the road. He told me this story a few times and each time as if he couldn’t believe that humans would care enough to do this for the geese.

The other day I stopped to visit with a neighbor as we were each out on a walk. As I headed off, she assumed I was going to the nature trail and she told me to be careful. I asked her why? And she said because of the animals. I told her I wasn’t afraid of the animals — people maybe — but not animals.

Today, I watched a car at the lake, zig and zag across the road, heading right for the geese just like kids that chase after them but he was in a car.

I wondered has it always been an “us against them” mentality? Is it our subconscious that reminds us that we have taken more than our share of land, water, food… from other species, and therefore, we fear to walk among them? There are certainly some cultures that have a reverence for all life. There are some cultures who are at peace with living along side of nature rather than trying to eradicate all but a small garden plot. When did our needs become more important than that of say the Eastern Cougar put on the extinction list in 2011.

We’ve looked for many years for a defining difference between us and other species that determines once and for all that humans are some how better than other animals. We tried saying that only humans used tools — obviously not — dolphins, crows and chimpanzees also do– just to name a few. Then of course there is language that supposedly makes we humans superior. Why is it that my cats can understand what I say to them but I don’t have a clue what all that meowing means? I think the difference is that when animals come into our human landscape they make it more beautiful or interesting. When humans enter the animals’ landscape — we often find a way to take away the innate beauty of their homes.

Sometimes it is subtle like this board that was added by humans to cross the rocks…

I’ll let you compare the Animals visiting the Human Landscape…

To Humans visiting the Animal Landscape ….

I think that animals have done a magnificent job finding ways to live in peace with humans. The questions is: When are humans going to make peace with living with all other species? What do you think?